THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

sure I’m really ready, but I know I can get through it now.”
    “I understand. It’s been good having you around. Real good.” There was an awkward silence. “A driver will take you home tomorrow.”
    “You don’t have to do that. I can rent a car.”
    “Don’t be silly.” They walked down the tunnel to the SUV that would shuttle them back to the hotel. “It’s taken care of.”
    The driver leaped from the car when he saw Cody, but Cody waved him off, opened the door himself, and helped Kasey in.
    They rode in silence on the twenty-minute drive to the hotel. The driver let them out at a back entrance.
    “Hey, guys.” Cody said to the two security guards who stood nearby. He gave them a nod, and he and Kasey disappeared around the corner.
    Cody took her hands in his. “I’m not very good at goodbyes.”
    “It’s not goodbye. We’ll be in touch.”
    He nodded. “Count on it.”
    She hugged him.
    He held her for a long moment. “You take care of yourself, and please let me know if you need anything. Anything. I mean it.”
    She nodded.
    “Keep me posted on Jake, too.”
    “I will.”
    He hooked his arm. She threaded hers through his. They got on the elevator. When it stopped on the twenty-third floor, Kasey backed out.
    “Thanks again,” she said.
    “See you soon.” He tipped his hat.
    She wondered if he was trying to be cute, or hiding how he felt. The elevator doors closed. The chime sounded on the floor above, the penthouse, where he was staying. She turned and walked to her room, humming A Mother’s Love .
     

 
    Chapter Thirteen
     
    The day after the Raleigh concert, Kasey said her goodbyes to the band members. It was a lot harder than she’d expected, kind of like when she’d left her friends for the summer after school let out.
    As the limo moved into traffic, she noticed the glossy white box on the seat. A perfect Tiffany-blue bow crossed over a card—from Cody. He’d done so much for her. Opening the box seemed so final.
    Cody isn’t the only one that’s not good at goodbyes.
    She pushed it aside and decided to wait until she got home to open it.
    Home.
    It was time.
    Kasey wondered if Dutch would act as if she’d only been gone a day.
    The smooth ride lulled her to sleep. By the time she woke up, she was close enough to home to recognize her surroundings. Her stomach swirled a little when the limousine pulled into the driveway.
     
    Her RV and Porsche were parked side-by-side in front of the house, next to the crumpled metal heap of Nick’s truck. Her heart spiked as she relived the moment when she’d seen it in the river. There was no fixing it. She should’ve sent it to the crusher, but it was hard to let go of anything that had belonged to Nick.
    The driver came around and opened her door. She stepped from the limo and stretched while he got her bags from the trunk.
    “You can leave them on the porch.”
    The driver had sweated through his starched white shirt by the time he heaved the last bag onto the porch. Relief washed over his face when he closed the trunk.
    Kasey handed him a stack of bills.
    “It’s been taken care of.”
    Of course it has. Thanks, Cody.
    The limo kicked up a cloud of dust as it drove down the lane.
    Leaving her alone.
    Standing on the porch, she wrapped her arms across her body and took it all in. Not ready to go inside, she walked down to the yard and followed the edge of the wooden fence that outlined the pastures. The air seemed fresh, the sounds from the animals familiar. Birds chirped and there was that gentle buzz she’d grown to love.
    Goats called out as if they recognized her and hoped for a handout. One of the older does came to the fence. Kasey recognized the animal as one of Nick’s favorites. She twisted off a small sprig of pine needles from the tree next to the fence and dangled it over. The goat nibbled the needles, then stepped up on the fence with its hooves to get closer, begging for more. Kasey petted her nose.
    She brushed her hands on her jeans and sat on the white bench under the trio of river birch trees. She and Jake had spent so many afternoons in this spot while Nick worked the horses and goats. Thunder rumbled and the north sky grew dark. Nick would know if it would rain or not. He’d said he could smell it.
    She crossed the yard to the front porch. The swing swayed as the wind picked up. She, Nick and Jake had spent countless hours in that swing. Nick had combed his fingers through her hair and dropped